John W. Peckham Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 335-336

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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JOHN W. PECKHAM is the able editor of the popular sheet known as the 
"Alexandria Journal." He is still a young man but he has attained a 
conspicuous position among the business men of the county, and although 
he has had charge of this paper but a comparatively short time, he has 
built up for himself an enviable reputation as a business manager and 
editor. 

The subject of our sketch is a native of Columbia county, Wisconsin, 
and was born on the 10th of March, 1873. His father, John E. Peckham, 
is established in the hardware business in the city of Alexandria. He 
is also a. native of Columbia county, Wisconsin, and was born July 22, 
1850, the oldest of a family of eight children, born to the union of 
Peleg and Minerva (Austin) Peckham, the former claiming the Empire 
state as his native place, anti the latter being born in the Keystone 
state. In 1878, the Peckham family, our subject and his parents, came 
to Dakota and the father took government land, in Pleasant township, 
Hanson county, and occupied himself at farm work until 1888, when he 
moved to the city of Alexandria that he might secure superior school 
advantages for his family. Here he obtained employment in an elevator 
for a time, and in 1894, he established his present hardware business. 
When the family located in the city, our subject secured employment in 
the printing office of L. C. Taylor, and served an apprenticeship of 
about five years. During this time he also continued his school 
studies, graduating from the Alexandria high school in 1891. On the 1st 
of January, 1895, he was given charge of the "Journal" office, and has 
since been its manager, editor and principal shareholder. Mr. Peckham 
is a man of mark in the community in which he lives, and his standing 
as a good citizen is irreproachable. He is a wide-awake, energetic, a 
man who is widely known and highly respected and whose life affords an 
example well worthy the emulation of the rising generation. Religiously 
he is connected with the Methodist Episcopal church, and fraternally he 
affiliates with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. the Modern Woodmen 
of America, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Masonic 
fraternity.

In 1895, Mr. Peckham was united in marriage to Miss Nettie Dobson, who 
is also a native of Wisconsin, and was born in 1875. To this congenial 
union have been born two children, upon whom they have seen fit to 
bestow the names of Leith and Beatrice.